Eclectic Food: Slow-Cooker Chili

Slow-Cooker Chili

Eclectic Food: Sweet Potato Linguine

Sweet Poato Linguine

Eclectic Food: Slow-Cooker Chicken and Dumplings

Nothing fills your stomach quite so well as chicken and dumplings.  A staple of winter eating, they don't have to be complex to make!  This recipe uses just a few ingredients, and can be adapted however you'd like.  Add in some carrots or celery if you'd like!  Also note: this recipe is for a small slow-cooker.  If you have a larger one, double the amounts listed.

Slow-Cooker Chicken and Dumplings

Ingredients:
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 can condensed cream of chicken soup
1 cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons ice cold water
1/2 an onion, minced
2 carrots, sliced

1.  Put chicken, minced onion, sliced carrots, butter, cream of chicken soup, and broth in slow-cooker.  Cook on low for 6-8 hours.
2.  If you used bone-in chicken, remove skin and bones from chicken.  Use a fork or other utensil to break up the chicken, and set slow-cooker to high.
3.  At this point mix your flour with the ice cold water  (you might need to add more flour or water to get the right consistency).  Knead until it is damp all the way through.  If you are obsessive about the size of your dumplings, roll the dough out and cut into 1/2-inch squares.  I just tore small pieces off of my ball of dough.  Drop the dough bits into the slow-cooker and stir.  Cook for another 45 minutes-1 hour.
3.  Serve and enjoy!

Gluten-Free Version:
Substitute gluten-free all-purpose flour instead of wheat flour.

Eclectic Food: Dirty Rice

I love dirty rice like nobody's business, but unfortunately it is difficult to come by in the Midwest.  While the Midwest has some delicious foods of its own, I sometimes get a hankering for a taste of home and wind up making myself some dirty rice.  If you've never had dirty rice before, you should definitely try it as soon as you can!  It's spicy, it's flavorful, and it is downright delicious.  Just never try the Zatarain's or pre-packaged versions of Southern food unless you're truly desperate.  They are usually terrible and never as good as actual Southern food.  Here's my favorite recipe for dirty rice.

Warning:  I have included directions for making dirty rice the way I grew up eating it--spicy as sin.  If you are a baby with spicy things have a low spice tolerance, omit the spicy items from your version.  If you accidentally make it too spicy, you can just add more rice to tame the burn, though you might need more seasoning added.  And be sure to wash your hands thoroughly after chopping the jalapeño!

Dirty Rice

Eclectic Food: Super Easy Chicken Pot Pie

This chicken pot pie is seriously easy, and simply delicious.

Chicken Pot Pie